The Honorable Steven Point: An advocate for Aboriginal people
The Honorable Steven Point, a provincial court judge, former lieutenant governor of B.C. and an advocate for Aboriginal rights, is a recipient of a 2017 honorary degree from Capilano University.
The Honorable Steven Point, a provincial court judge, former lieutenant governor of B.C. and an advocate for Aboriginal rights, is a recipient of a 2017 honorary degree from Capilano University.
“It is special to me to have a direct connection to our Stó:lō neighbours as the University is named after Chief Joe Capilano, an important leader of the Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh) Nation of the Coast Salish people,” he says.
Point has chartered a distinguished career from a young age. He served as an elected chief of the Skowkale First Nation in Chilliwack, B.C. at the age of 23. He then completed a law degree and worked for the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.
In 1991, Point became director of the First Nations Legal Studies program at the UBC Faculty of Law. From 1994 to 1999, he was tribal chair of the Stó:lō Nation and grand chief of the Stó:lō Tribal Council. He was appointed a provincial court judge in 1999.
In 2005, Point was appointed chief commissioner of the British Columbia Treaty Commission. He was named the province’s 28th lieutenant governor in 2007. In that role, he took a special interest in inspiring young people to pursue their aspirations. In 2014, he was reappointed provincial court judge, a role he holds to this day.
Point holds an outstanding record of service to the people of British Columbia. He has advocated for Aboriginal people throughout his career, pressing for greater recognition of their contributions and their broader involvement in all aspects of life in B.C. He is the recipient of numerous honours, including the Order of British Columbia, and now an honorary doctor of laws from Capilano University.
Capilano University’s motto is through learning to a greater good, a value that Point, throughout his lifetime, has exemplified.
Submitted by: Cheryl Rossi